As reported on KVMR, Dec. 28, 2018:
Hospitality House is the only emergency homeless shelter in Nevada County, with 69 beds for homeless men, women and children.
I’m Ashley Quadros and as the development manager for Hospitality House, I am privileged to work with the many wonderful donors and businesses in our community who want to help guests at our shelter. I also get to help spread our news and events, such as Night of Giving, which took place last weekend, which my team and approximately 150 volunteers helped put on, including you, Charlotte. Thank you, volunteers!
Night of Giving was an amazing night and benefit for those in need. Our community helped raise just over $70,000, which will provide 1,417 bed nights at the shelter, so that men, women and children can receive the services they need to get back on their feet!
One woman specifically who this helps is Shannon. Shannon was at Night of Giving, and I don’t know if you had a chance to hear her speak, Charlotte, but Shannon is an amazingly strong woman at our shelter and her story just speaks to me on so many levels because it’s so relatable and also a solemn reminder that homelessness can happen to anyone, and sometimes, like in Shannon’s case, it happens in an instant.
Shannon had a job, a home and a family, but one tragic day changed all of that. Over the summer, Shannon was in a nearly fatal car accident. To avoid a head-on collision, she swerved her car off the road and hit a tree. It’s a miracle she survived the impact and the EMT who rescued her is someone she has known for 18 years (Shannon has lived here her entire life). While Shannon is lucky to be alive, the events that unfolded before her were devastating.
When Shannon gave her speech at Night of Giving, this is what she said, “When I was in ICU, my family didn’t come and visit me. My boyfriend came, as we lived together at the time and he had my daughter, but he came to introduce me to his new girlfriend and told me that I had to move out. As I lay in the hospital, I lost my job, house, truck and savings.”
I really hope those words are sinking in for anyone listening right now because they are heavy. That’s one hard turn of events, especially knowing that Shannon also sustained several internal injuries, including a severed liver and kidneys. She is now in our care, she’s doing better, and we’re working with Shannon every day to get her back on her feet.
As we approach the end of year, I want everyone to know it’s not too late to help someone like Shannon, or any of the 68 additional people currently in our care. We’d like to head into the New Year strong with the ability to do more, and if anyone listening can help us do that, I warmly invite you to visit our website, hhshelter.org, to make a tax-deductible gift today.
There are many ways to give, and if you can’t give financially, you can always give your time. Our thrift shop, Bread & Roses, is just one example of volunteer opportunities. We always need help with our store and sorting donations there or working the cash register. And don’t forget—Bread & Roses is also just a great place to shop and find those one-of-a-kind items! I’m always just so amazed each time I go in how different and diverse the selection is. There is something for every taste, so stop by today and check it out! For anyone who may have an interest in volunteering, details can be found on our website, hhshelter.org/volunteer.
To everyone who helped cook and provide meals last week, we thank you—Telestream, St. Patrick’s Church, Mountain Stream Meditation, Peace Lutheran, 7th Day Adventists and Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains—thank you! And to everyone who dropped off needed items last week—thank you as well! Now down to the nitty gritty needs of the shelter for this week…
- Men’s t-shirts, size L (10)
- Men’s 1XL shirts (5)
- Men’s 2XL shirts (5)
- Sweatpants, sizes M & L
- Pajamas – all sizes, ladies and men’s
- Toothpaste
- Earplugs
- Blankets
- 1 pair of size 11 wide women’s shoes
Drop off your donations at Utah’s Place, located in Brunswick Basin, past the DMV, at 1262 Sutton Way. Thank you for sticking together so that we all get what we need.